Programme Index

Discover 11,128,835 listings and 281,699 playable programmes from the BBC

Healthy Visions

Episode 3: Wellness at Work

Duration: 15 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW

Available for over a year

Dame Carol Black argues that it is important to promote health and well-being at work. Both employers and employees need to do their part. If they do, it will benefit everybody - companies, staff and the NHS.

Achieving improved health in the workplace, she says, can help to significantly reduce demand on stretched NHS services. But the benefits are not just for the NHS. Healthier staff will feel better, be more productive, and happier at work. And employers can save money on sick pay or the costs associated with high staff turnover.

Some companies are at the forefront of this, such as the Ipswich Building Society. They have a points scheme, for example, whereby staff can earn points for walking or exercising at lunchtime. These can then be cashed in for time off work. They also offer lunchtime team walks, pedometers and "couch to 5k" podcasts that help non-runners to gradually build up to running five kilometres. One member of staff says that as a result, she not only feels more valued at work but has also not had a day off sick in seven years.

Presenter: Dame Carol Black
Producer: Arlene Gregorius
Editor:Andrew Smith. Show less

About this data

This data is drawn from the data stream that informs BBC's iPlayer and Sounds. The information shows what was scheduled to be broadcast, meaning it was/is subject to change and may not be accurate. More